Beelzebub

by Micha F. Lindemans

Beelzebub is the patron god of the Philistines in ancient Palestine. He is also identified with the god of Ekron, Baal-Zebub. The term is a deliberate mocking perversion of the Canaanite Baal-Zebul ("Prince Baal"), one of the standard titles of the god Baal. In the Bible, Beelzebub is the prince of evil spirits and in Milton's 'Paradise Lost' he is
Satan's chief lieutenant. He is also called 'Lord of the Flies', derived from the Hebrew "Baal-Zevuv".